Commissioners vote to pursue agreement to buy or lease nursing home

Published: Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 08:22 AM.

BEAUFORT — The newly seated Carteret County Board of Commissioners wasted no time in getting down to business.

One of the board’s first decisions puts in motion proposed plans involving the future of more than 100 nursing home beds in the county.

Commissioners voted 6-1 to pursue an agreement with UHS-Pruitt to buy or lease Taylor Extended Care, a 104-bed nursing home facility located in the Sea Level community in the Down East area of the county.

Chairman Greg Lewis cast the opposing vote because he felt the board needed more time to discuss the five proposals before the county.

Commissioners agreed to hold a work session on Dec. 17 to continue discussions, but the board’s backing is already behind the UHS-Pruitt proposal.

Commissioner Jonathan Robinson, who represents the Down East area, encouraged the board to move forward; and Commissioner Robin Comer of Peletier agreed the UHS-Pruitt was the best of the proposal, showing countywide support for the plans.

The decision of the board garnered applause from the Down East residents who attended the meeting and have backed the UHS-Pruitt proposal.

BEAUFORT — The newly seated Carteret County Board of Commissioners wasted no time in getting down to business.

One of the board’s first decisions puts in motion proposed plans involving the future of more than 100 nursing home beds in the county.

Commissioners voted 6-1 to pursue an agreement with UHS-Pruitt to buy or lease Taylor Extended Care, a 104-bed nursing home facility located in the Sea Level community in the Down East area of the county.

Chairman Greg Lewis cast the opposing vote because he felt the board needed more time to discuss the five proposals before the county.

Commissioners agreed to hold a work session on Dec. 17 to continue discussions, but the board’s backing is already behind the UHS-Pruitt proposal.

Commissioner Jonathan Robinson, who represents the Down East area, encouraged the board to move forward; and Commissioner Robin Comer of Peletier agreed the UHS-Pruitt was the best of the proposal, showing countywide support for the plans.

The decision of the board garnered applause from the Down East residents who attended the meeting and have backed the UHS-Pruitt proposal.

Danny Styron of Stacy presented the board with a petition with more than 1,000 signatures in support of the proposal.

The UHS-Pruitt plans keep the presence of a facility in the eastern part of the county, preserving jobs and keeping residents of the facility close to their home community.

At least two of the other proposals would move the nursing home beds to the west end of the county.

Styron said, regardless, the UHS proposal is by far the best one for the county overall.

“Carteret County is one piece of land. We need to get away from this east versus west and look at what’s best for Carteret County,” he said.

Under the proposal, UHS-Pruitt has said it would lease the current facility for up to five years, making an annual lease payment of $435,000 in monthly installments. It is also proposing to pay $50,000 for a three-year option to purchase the old Beaufort Elementary School property for $1 million.

It is also seeking to purchase operating rights for the 104 beds for $2.04 million.

While the board approved pursuing the proposal, it was also agreed that there are legal issues to consider before finalizing a contract.

County attorney Rob Wheatly said one question is whether the lease versus purchase of the facility is best.

The county owns the Taylor Extended Care property and the facility is currently operated by Carteret General Hospital. The hospital decided earlier this year that it will not continue operating the facility after March 1.